And the work continues....

Now that the Blog Review Tour and the Blog Hop Tour are both over, it's time for me to turn my attention back to writing. September brought great news and not so great news with regards to my manuscripts.

For the great news, I finally have an editor for Billiard Buddies, and we will start addressing updates this week.  For the not so great news, I received a rejection for a manuscript I submitted a couple months ago.  However, the submissions editor has given me the chance to fix it up and resend.  I really appreciate second chances.  That doesn't happen often in the writing industry.

I also met with a local artist about creating book covers for my poetry books.  Yes, I write poetry too.

I'm looking forward to the 11th Annual Collingswood Book Festival on October 5th. Hope to see you there at Booth #99.

Take the Train Autumn Blog Hop

Do you have a favorite fall memory linked to a train? What do you imagine you would see if you were riding a train in the fall? Join the authors of Wild Child publishing and Freya’s Bower as we Take an Autumn Train Ride through our blogs.

Prizes will include

 

• Four $50 gift certificates (two for Wild Child and two for Freya's Bower)
• An awesome swag package that includes:
• Bookmarks
• Books
• Wild Child T-shirt and mug
• Wild Child and Freya's Bower bags
• Four handmade, crochet coasters by Kit Wylde
• An autographed copy of Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire
• A rare DVD copy of the Matheson/Furst classic "Up The Creek" (lovingly used)
• One ebook copy of Nita Wick’s short story, The Dream (previously published as part of a Freya’s Bower anthology.)
• Book trading cards
• Signed Dangerous Waters poster
• copy of "Battle for Blood: The Blood Feud"
• the winner’s name as a character in Kissa Starling’s next sweet romance story.
• A Yankee Candle
• and more...

 

Surprise Train Ride

Cassandra Ulrich

Pulling out of the station to leave the bland colored building behind, my dad and I embarked on an unknown adventure to an undisclosed location. When we’d first arrived in a taxi, Dad bought the tickets and convinced me not to glance at the schedule board. Since I sat on the bench with Mozart blasting in my ears, I didn’t even hear the announcer blurt out the destination. Dad stood, and with back straight and head held high, he always seemed to stand taller than his 5’7” stature. Following Dad’s lead, I descended the stairs to the tracks and slipped into the train, backpack in hand. I always felt safe whenever he led the way, keeping a careful eye on the passengers. No one dared mess with his baby girl. We plopped into the first spare seats we found. I stared out the window and waited for the train to start on its way.

In minutes, combinations of reds, greens, oranges, yellows, and plums caught my attention with their vibrancy. I couldn’t pull away, not even when my dad tapped me on the shoulder. Still glued to the landscape flitting by, I removed my ear buds to listen to whatever he thought so important that he dared interrupt my euphoric experience. He chuckled softly. He understood what I saw, what I felt as I gazed on the beauty outside our window. He’d spent years during my childhood teaching me about leaves and ants and bees. I hoped he knew how special those times were to me.

Chestnut horses frolicked in the distance across browning tufts of grass. One of them stopped near the fence to exchange friendly greetings with a black sheep who’d strayed from his flock. Neither paid attention to the hawk that glided over some evergreens, but my eyes followed that magnificent bird.

“Want some libation?” asked my father. Only a bartender from the 70s would dare use the word “libation.”

“Sure.” I didn’t look away from the window, not wanting to miss anything at this fast speed. “Dad, where are we going?” I couldn’t imagine any place more beautiful than what I witnessed before me.

He grinned. “Does it matter?”

More red leaves and some yellow bushes sped by. “No, the journey is what matters now. Thanks for this.”

“You’re welcome,” he replied and fell quiet so I could enjoy the scene. He knew it wouldn’t be long before I’d be forced to continue this journey of life without him.

Yeah, it’s the journey that counts, with its adventurous beauty.

Now Presenting….

 

Will the determined and sometimes sassy Kressa let rich bad-boy Brad into her heart, or will their families manage to keep them apart?

 

Please visit the following sites to purchase Love’s Intensity:

Wild Child Publishing, Amazon, All Romance eBooks, Barnes & Noble, Kobo Books, and iBooks.

 

Please visit these sites for more chances to win, the more you visit the more chances you have to win. We have 46 participating authors. You can stop at as many or as little blogs as you wish. At each stop, you will find two chances to enter per blog to win some awesome prizes. If you visit all, that’s 92 chances to win! There will be five, lucky winners.

Take the Blog Train and Visit These Blogs for more chances to win
Marci Baun/Kit Wylde
Critters at the Keyboard
Teresa D'Amario
Judith Leger, Fantasy and Comtemporary Romance Author
Writing
The Fictional World of Jaime Samms
Follow Where the Path will Take You
The Wandering Mind of Lizzy P. Bellows
Where Love and Magic Meet
Kissa Starling
Marianna Heusler
Hell's Ambrosia
C.M. Michaels
The Shadow Portal
The Blog Zone
Blog By iMagine
Ardyth DeBruyn Author Blog
Shadows of the Past
Dear Reader
Cassie Exline -- Mystery and Romance
Sarcastic Rambling & Writing
That's What I Think
Sue's Random Ramblings
Make Old Bones
Elements of Mystery
Molly Dean's Blog
Kenzie's Place
The Forbidden Blog
David Huffstetler
Cassandra Ulrich
Carol Marvell
Andrew Richardson
Nick Lloyd
Fiddleeebod -- land of stories
Nita Wick's Blog
Ruth G. Zavitsanos
Too Poor for Texas
Jenn Nixon
City of Thieves
Musings and Doodles
Husein
The Western Writer
Bike Cop Blog
The Character Depot
Allen Currier
Tracy Holohan

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Autumn Train Ride Blog Hop begins Monday, 9/23

Wild Child Publishing, the publisher of Love's Intensity, has organized a blog hop featuring its many authors.  Please stop my blog for links to the other sites.

Blog Review Tours begin Monday, 9/23

A few blog sites will be reviewing my latest novel, Love's Intensity, starting Monday for 5 days.  Hope you visit the sites and leave comments.

 

To purchase a copy, go here for all available online stores.

Talking to people about my books.

I spent a couple hours at a storefront in Collingswood for 2nd Saturday with another author, a jewelry maker, and an artist.  I handed out postcards containing information about my two novels to anyone who agreed to take them.  It's always fun when some folks stop to hear more about what I've written. I hope they download both novels.

I'm looking forward to Collingswood Book Festival on October 5th. Go here for time and location. Hope you can stop by.

Something funny

From time to time, I’ll share a scene or two of a story running through my head with a few close friends.  After a while one of those friends says, “Are you working on my story? Is it done?”

Your story, I think. When did it become your story? <giggles>

It’s really neat when my friends connect with my characters as if they were real people.  It’s what being an author is all about.

Take the Train with me later this month...

I will be joining other authors in a Blog Hop later this month.  We look forward to see you here.

My newest cover has been revealed!

Although I'm still waiting for an editor, I got approval from Keith Publications to share the cover with you.  Go to my web site to take a look. It may be simple to look at, but a lot of time and effort goes into creating a cover that represents the story.  This was the third try at such a cover. Hope you like it enough to purchase a copy when it's published.

Have a great weekend!